Game Of Thrones: 20 Greatest Performances
2. Charles Dance - Tywin Lannister
Charles Dance's introductory scene, in which he talks to Jaime about family and power while skinning a deer, was the best introduction scene in Game of Thrones and he continued to enrich every single scene he was in over the next few seasons.
Tywin Lannister was not a good person. He was a ruthless, merciless player of the political game motivated entirely by the lust for power, yet he was missed so, so much when his son, Tyrion, killed him. He was a brilliant representation of the kind of personality needed to survive in such a harsh world and Charles Dance gave a note-perfect performance.
Cold, calculating and brutal, yet also charismatic and wonderfully badass, Dance made Tywin a character you simultaneously loved and hated. Tywin was an appalling and often unsettling figure, but thanks to all the nuances and moments of humanity Dance had amidst all that intimidation, he was a very human and complex villain who felt all-too believable.
As villainous roles go, Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister is an acting masterclass. What could possibly top this?